Overexpression of IL-13 in patients with bladder cancer.

In this case-control study, expression pattern of IL-13 as a possible anti-inflammatory cytokine in patients with bladder carcinoma was investigated by using RT-PCR and ELISA. Highly significant difference in mRNA and protein expression of IL-13 between patients with bladder cancer and controls was observed (p = .000). The increased upexpression was mostly observed in lower stages (Ta+T1) of cancer than in higher (64.1% in lower vs 48.7% in higher stages). To address whether age, smoking, and alcohol drinking have any effect in IL-13 expression, it was seen that in spite of lower mean average of mRNA and protein expression in the old, smokers, and alcohol drinkers, no significant effect of these factors on expression of IL-13 was observed. The overexpression of IL-13 as a potent immunosuppressive cytokine was found in patients with bladder cancer and may be playing a role as an anti-inflammatory mediator in carcinoma of bladder. IL-13 may help to restore the disturbed T(H)1/T(H)2 balance in patients with bladder carcinoma, and can be considered as therapeutic agent in this disease.